


Magic Isn't Real... Is It?

by Richie Rose (richtherose)



Category: BuzzFeed Fandom, Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, M/M, Multi, Shyan-focused but other relationships will be mentioned at least, but i have enough to have storylines for pretty much everyone tbh, i dont know how long this is gonna end up, tbh i have no idea what ways this will go yet but i'll just tag more as i go along i guess lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-21 06:26:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11938233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/richtherose/pseuds/Richie%20Rose
Summary: Shane has always thought that magic was dumb and fake, until weird things start happening around him, because of him. He's invited to a school for magic, and thinks it's also dumb and fake but... part of him wants to believe. He meets a boy that believes in anything and everything but reality, and discovers that opposites do attract. He finds himself surrounded by magic and new friends, and trouble from the exploration trips that this weird boy... his best friend... drags him on. Ryan is lucky he's so cute.Inspired by talk on tumblr, mainly on ghostwheeze's (aka a goddess) blog, of Hogwarts AUs, I decided that I had to write my own take.





	1. Chapter 1

Magic wasn’t real. 

This was a fact that Shane Madej had always known. Even as a child, he would question the logic of Santa and the Tooth Fairy. When he caught his dad putting presents “from Santa” under the Christmas tree, he wasn’t at all shocked or surprised. He’d only waited because his brother wanted to, he never believed in any of that. How would no one have seen Santa or have actual proof of him if he was real? He, and no one else, had ever seen him. Shane only believed in what he could see. 

 

Magic wasn’t real. 

This was a fact that Shane Madej had always known… until the months before his 11th birthday. The first instance was in January. He was out in the snow, walking down the street to a friend’s house. He wasn’t paying attention to the ground in front of him and slipped on a icy patch of the road. He yelped, throwing his hands out to catch himself. But he didn’t need to. He couldn’t explain it, but somehow he rebalanced himself right before he hit the ground. 

“Weird,” he thought to himself before continuing on his way, forgetting all about it. 

The next instance was in early March. He had been cornered on the playground by the class bully. He tried to get away, and the bully pushed him down to the ground. Shane felt a rush of anger jolt through him as the boy stepped closer to kick him. Suddenly, the boy was nearly ten feet away, on the ground. Shane stared at the boy in shock as the bully quickly picked himself off and fled, crying out, “Freak! You’re a witch or something!” 

On April Fools Day, his friend tried to prank him by dropping a bucket of water on him from the upstairs window. He didn’t even have a drop of water on him, even though he walked directly into the water. 

By the time that summer came, Shane was questioning a lot of things. There were so many little instances that he just couldn’t explain. But he wasn’t about to say that it was magic just because he didn’t know what it was. He saw them happen, so they had to be real. But there had to be a logical explanation for them… right? 

 

“Shane? Can you come here for a minute?”

Shane dog-eared the page he was on, set his book down and went downstairs to where his mother was. She was standing in the kitchen, reading over a letter. 

“Yeah?” he said, looking at the open envelope she was holding behind it. It had his name on it. 

His mom looked up at him, a quizzical and slightly hesitant expression on her face. He waited for her to speak, glancing at the letter in curiousity. 

“Well… You have been having these incidents… We couldn’t explain them… Well… You just got this letter, inviting you to a school.” she said slowly, watching his reaction. 

Shane frowned in confusion, “School? And what does that have to do with the… incidents…?” 

His mother let out a breath before speaking, “It’s a school… for magic.” 

Shane let out a snort as she finished her sentence, “Very funny, mom.” 

“I’m serious,” she responded in a deadpan voice. 

“W.. Wait- what?” 

“Here, read it for yourself. It… it makes sense. I know that you don’t really believe in that kind of stuff, but… This has given us an answer we haven’t been able to find before.” She handed him the letter. 

It was written with an old paper, neat handwritten cursive scrawled in green ink. 

Shane started reading it aloud in a mumble. “Dear Mr. Madej, we are pleased to inform you that you have been invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… what the fu- heck?” 

His mother gave him a look as he almost cussed, then sighed. “And the next page explains a little more.” 

Shane gave his mom a sheepish look before flipping to the next page. 

 

“Dear Mr. Madej, 

You may be a little confused on what this school is. You are the child of non-magical parents, but have shown magical abilities. If you have gotten angry or scared, things that you cannot explain may have happened. These were signs that you are in fact a Muggleborn witch/wizard. A Muggle is what witches and wizards call non-magical people. This school is meant to teach witches and wizards how to control and use their powers. We have opened up in the last decade to include not only those from Europe, but internationally as well. If you accept, you may take the enclosed tickets to get to the school. The first ticket is for an airplane specially for magical Americans traveling to London. Once there, you will be put into rooms in the Leaky Cauldron, and be able to get your supplies in Diagon Alley. There will be a supervisor to aid you and escort you to King’s Cross to board the train to the school. Please send a reply by July 31st, and we will look forward to seeing you on September 1st. 

Yours sincerely, 

Minerva McGonagall”

 

Shane stared blankly at the page for a few moments after he finished reading. He blinked and looked up at his mother. 

“You really believe this?” he asked incredulously. 

She sighed, “I think I do… It makes sense, because we have no other explanation.”

“Well, I don’t know! Maybe they were all just like… coincidences…” he said indignantly. 

There was a moment of silence as both of them tried to comprehend the situation. Shane glanced back at the letters in his hand, looking at the third page. A supplies list that looked like it was straight out of a generic witch book. He was surprised it didn’t say “eye of newt” on it. Although, there was a cauldron, and said that first years weren’t allowed broomsticks. He wondered if they actually flew on the broomsticks. Students could bring an owl? As if it were a pet? He shook his head. That was stupid, none of this made sense. 

“Shane, honey… I think this might actually be a good idea. If these things keep happening, it could get more dangerous if you don’t know how to use it.” 

“Wait, are you actually thinking I should go? That’s crazy, mom! What if this is McGonagall is actually like… an ax murderer that kidnaps children by telling them they are going to a magic school?” Shane defended. 

“I know, I know… But I just… I have a feeling that it’s trustworthy. We still have time, and I’ll write back to her to get a little more so I can know that you’ll be safe. I just… I don’t like seeing you struggle and not being able to help you. It seems that they can help you, so if that means that you go to London for the school year, then I’ll be okay. Just think about it? I’ll talk to your dad tonight about it too and see what he thinks. We can talk more about it later after we’ve all had some time to think.” 

Shane sighed as his mother hugged him, hugging her back with a weary “alright…” before going back upstairs to his room. He flopped onto his bed, trying to piece together everything that had happened. 

 

He couldn’t sleep. He laid there for at least an hour, staring at the ceiling with conflicting thoughts running through his head. Part of him still claimed this was all bullshit and there was no way that it was real… The other part of him was curious… Part of him wanted to believe in it. He wanted to believe that maybe there actually was something more than what he could see. 

When he finally fell asleep, he dreamed of witches and magic and owls flying around him. He dreamed that he was part of something bigger than himself, and there was more than meets the eye in everything, including himself. It was probably the best he’d slept in a long time. 


	2. Chapter 2

He still couldn’t believe it. He still thought it might be a scam of some sorts, no matter how much sense it made to his parents. Sure, it did tie some stuff up into a nice little bow that no one else could explain… But it was still crazy. He was getting on a plane to take him to London, to a magic school. He wouldn’t see his family or friends or hometown for a year. 

Shane wasn’t one to get frightened, but he definitely felt anxious. Not even for himself, he could handle whatever was thrown at him with a sarcastic comment and a joke, but he worried about his family. 

His mom would worry, although she assured him several times that she would be fine. His dad smiled as he waved him off, but Shane saw the concern and fear on his face behind the grin. His brother was disappointed that he was going to be gone, but said he’d be fine as long as he brought back magical presents. 

Well, maybe he was a little anxious about himself too. The previous weeks were filled with conflicting thoughts, and he realized that he was getting his hopes up. What if it wasn’t real and this was all some scam or a joke? Part of him wanted to believe it was possible, his rational side told him that he was going to be disappointed. And if it was real? What then? He would have to make new friends and explore this world he had previously known nothing of, figure out what he really believed in and what he didn’t and question everything he knew. His rational side told him that he really shouldn’t be having an existential crisis at 11 years old. 

“Hello, welcome to the Mechanical Aviational Gateway for International Commute, or M.A.G.I.C. You may take a seat anywhere, and enjoy the flight!” a female voice broke through Shane’s thoughts, forcing him back to reality. 

Shane nodded awkwardly at the stewardess, mumbling a thanks as he stepped onto the plane with his backpack, looking into the space in front of him. 

It wasn’t like any other plane he’d ever seen. Instead of the rows of chairs, it looked more like someone’s living room. There was actually a couple couches and a coffee table, chairs scattered around. 

He didn’t even have time to question it that much before the people already on the plane looked up at him and all started saying hello at once. Shane felt a little self conscious as they all focused on him, welcoming him to the flight. He fidgeted awkwardly with the straps of his bookbag as he said hello, before everything calmed down and they went back to their conversations. 

He scanned the room quickly, noting an empty chair beside a girl with colorful curly hair who was looking out the window. He walked over and quietly sat down, putting his backpack in his lap and fidgeting with it a little more. 

The girl looked at him and turned in her chair, smiling awkwardly at him. 

“Hi,” she said, looking a little uncomfortable but still trying to be friendly. “Sorry, I’m not good at meeting new people…” 

“No, no, that’s fine. I’m kinda iffy on it too. Uh, I’m Shane.” He reached out a hand to shake hers, then felt weird about it and kinda hesitated. 

“I’m Sara,” she said, slowly reaching out and shaking his hand awkwardly. 

There was a moment of awkward silence before they both started laughing, starting at snickers and growing. 

“So… Hogwarts, huh?” Sara said almost questioningly after they calmed down, trying to start a non-awkward conversation. 

Shane let out a breath, “Yeah, I guess this is actually a thing that’s happening… Part of me still believes that this is all a load of crap and we’re about to get kidnapped or something.” 

Sara blinked at him for a moment in shock. “What do you mean?? Hogwarts is one of the most best wizarding schools in the world! I grew up dreaming of the day I would get to go myself…” 

“I’ve never believed in magic. It didn’t make sense and there was no proof, so it couldn’t be real… but now, here I am, on a… magic plane going to a magic school for magic.” Shane shook his head, frowning at the floor. 

“Are your parents Muggles? Or No-Maj, depending on who you’re talking to. Non-magical people, I guess.” Sara asked. 

Shane nodded, before furrowing his brow, “I heard the word Muggle in the letter that I got from Hogwarts, but not No-Maj…” 

Sara nodded, “No-Maj is what people in America used to call non-magic folk. It’s died down a little, but some people still refer to them as that. My dad uses both, cause his parents called them No-Majs, but a lot of people he went to school with called them Muggles. I think once there was more communication between the British and the American wizards, the term Muggles became more widespread in America. That’s what my mom says anyways.” 

Shane nodded slowly, actually pretty intrigued. “That… makes sense, I guess. So I guess your parents are.. Magic?” 

Sara let out a breath of laughter before responding, “Yes, my mom is a witch and my dad is a wizard. My mom works in a wizard hospital, so she takes care of all the magic mishaps. And my dad writes for a magazine about the latest wizarding trends.”

“Magic… mishaps..?” Shane asked slowly.

Sara gave a wide eyed look at the floor for a moment before looking back up at Shane. “Yeah, like, once my mom had someone come in who was stuck mid-Transformation spell… He was trying to turn himself into an electric kettle….. His nose was a spout, and he was spouting steam from it and his ears, she told me. She took his temperature, and she said it was almost 200 degrees! She managed to get him back to normal before he boiled over though, so it was fine in the end.” 

Shane stared at her with a blank expression for a moment before blinking slowly and turning his eyes to the side. “Uhhhh….” 

Sara smiled, “Don’t worry, it’s pretty rare that a spell goes… well,  _ quite _ that wrong. It probably sounds scarier than it is when you aren’t used to magic.” 

Shane nodded, the corner of his mouth turned downward slightly. There was a moment of silence, interrupted by a voice speaking from what sounded like speakers, although Shane couldn’t see them. 

“Hello, and welcome again to the M.A.G.I.C. In flight snacks have been provided in the cabinets in the back room, and bathrooms are in the hallway before the back room. You may walk freely during the flight, anti-turbulence spells are in place. In case of spell failure, remain calm and sit. This was our final stop in America. We should arrive in London by midnight. Thank you for joining us on this journey, and enjoy your flight!” 

Sara turned back to the window, as did many of the other kids. Shane leaned closer to the window that Sara was gazing at, seeing the plane starting to move. As it picked up speed, he noticed that he didn’t feel the shaking or hear the turbulence picking up like it did on the other planes he’d been on. He looked around the room; if he hadn’t known he was on a plane, he would just think it was a living room, totally stationary. Weird. 

“Bye, America!” Sara said a small and cute voice, giving a little wave to the ground that was now below them. 

Shane was a little questioning, but… maybe it was… magic. His philosophy  _ had _ always been that if he couldn’t see it, it wasn’t real… He guessed he was seeing it. He glanced back at the window, and saw a ground made of clouds. He knew that in particular wasn’t magic, as he’d seen this sight before out of plane windows, but he felt like it could have been. The sun was casting a glow over the clouds, and it seemed like a cotton-like snow field below them. Logistically, he knew that clouds were just water and you would just fall through one and plummet to your death, but something about them seemed like you could just frolic through them without a care in the world. It really was a beautiful sight. It was also the moment Shane felt the true weight of the situation, and his previous anxieties started coming back, but even worse. He wouldn’t see his parents in person for a year, what if something happened? He wouldn’t know anyone in this new school, except this girl, and what if it turned out that she hated him later and he had no one and-

“Yo! We should all introduce ourselves!” A boy’s voice cut through Shane’s thoughts like a hot butter patty. “I figured it would be good to have some people we can go to when we get there, and since everyone is here now, we can do it!” 

Shane looked up as the boy stood from his spot on the couch. He was kinda dorky looking, but he also seemed energetic. 

“So everyone come over here, we can all sit in a big circle and go around and introduce ourselves!” the boy shouted, waving everyone over. 

“Do we have to? You did this last year,” the boy that had been sitting next to him groaned. 

“Oh, come on, Eugene, it’ll be fun!” a tall boy said to him as he dragged him into the forming circle.

“And there’s new people anyways, so it helps them!” the dorky-looking boy said. 

Shane glanced over at Sara as people started sitting on the floor. She looked back at him and gave him a little “might-as-well” shrug. He sighed quickly before he got up and joined the circle with Sara. Once everyone had found a seat, the boy who suggested it started counting while everyone waited for instruction awkwardly. 

“Wow, there’s 25 of us now! Five first-years then. Do you guys wanna raise your hands?” 

Shane awkwardly put his hand up a little. Looking around the circle, Sara had her hand raised, as three boys. 

“Sweet! Well, you’ll introduce yourselves first then!”

They kinda looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before the boy spoke again. “Okay, I’ll introduce myself first, then you can. How about we say our names, what year we are in, and something about ourselves, anything you want. I’m Zach, I’m a second year, and I… am abnormally hairy,” he said after a moment of thought. 

After a few rounds of “ew” “TMI” from the rest of the group, Zach pointed at Sara. “Your turn! Then the first years go in a clockwise turn, then we can start the rest with Keith here, and go the same way. Ready? GO!”

Sara looked anxiously around the group for a moment. “Uhhh… I’m Sara… First year, obviously… and… I like to doodle.” 

As she finished, she looked down quickly and everyone’s gaze turned to Shane. He swallowed, took a breath, and looked around the circle. 

“Hi, I’m Shane, this is my first year, and I never believed in magic before this, and am still questioning if I’m having some sort of elaborate fever dream cause I’ve always thought stuff like magic was a load of crap.” He looked to the ground as he finished before turning to the next first year boy, meeting his gaze. 

Shane wasn’t ever able to fully grasp what an incredulous face looked like until he saw this boy’s face. His mouth was slightly agape, his eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed. Shane couldn’t help but snort at his expression, and the boy looked slightly offended. 

“How could you think that magic is a load of crap?? It’s so prominent in even Muggle culture!” the boy exclaimed at Shane, who rolled his eyes. 

“Sorry that I grew up with non-magical parents and have a logical brain. The idea of magic goes against like… all laws of science.” Shane deadpanned. 

“Actually, magic and science fit really well together,” the boy retorted. “Magic just bends the laws, it doesn’t actually break them.” 

“How does that even work?” Shane questioned back. 

“Well-” the boy started.

“Dude, you’re supposed to be introducing yourself, not arguing. Go get a room, jeez…” the boy sitting next him interrupted. 

“Brent!” the boy exclaimed, hitting his arm.

Shane noticed that the boy’s face was flushed in embarrassment as he cleared his throat to introduce himself. He also couldn’t help but notice that he was very cute like that. 

“Uh, hi, sorry.. My name is Ryan, I’m a first-year, and I’m a big Quidditch fan.” 

Shane’s gaze stayed on Ryan’s flushed face for maybe a second longer than he was supposed to as the boy next to him introduced himself. He broke his gaze away, looking at Brent, only to realize that he’d already finished. The last first-year boy waved at the group, and Shane blinked as he looked at him, a little dazed. 

“Hi, I’m Garrett, I’m a first year, and my great grandmother was a giant, so I am quite tall.” 

“Cool, guys! And gal, I guess,” Zach said after Garrett finished, nodding to Sara. “I’m sure you’ll have a great first year, and you can always come to one of us if you need help! Although… I can’t guarantee that we will know. Anyways, let’s start introducing our older kids! Oh, and we can tell them our Houses too.” 

“Houses?” Shane questioned out loud.

Zach nodded, “When we get to the school, you’ll be sorted into a certain House, depending on your ideals and traits. Houses are basically like big groups for certain personality types, I guess. It’s a little more complicated, but basically there’s four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Gryffindors are known for their bravery and chivelry, Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal, Ravenclaws are intelligent and witty, and Slytherins will be ambitious and cunning. I’m a Hufflepuff! Anyways, Keith!”

The tall boy sitting next to Zach sprang up with a wave, “Hi, I’m Keith! This is my second year going to Hogwarts, I’m a Gryffindor, and last year, I set the Potions room on fire on accident.” 

“Was it an accident?” the dark haired boy next to him asked. 

“It was mainly an accident.” Keith replied brightly before sitting back down. 

The dark haired boy rolled his eyes. Shane looked over at him. He was… very handsome. Hearing the quiet giggles from a couple of the girls, he guessed he was pretty popular too. 

“Well, I’m Eugene, I’m a third-year, Slytherin. I have many secrets and no one will ever know them…” he said mysteriously and darkly before smiling. “Just kidding! … Or am I?”

“Hello! I’m Ned, and I’m a second-year Gryffindor, aka best House. No offence to the others..” Zach and Eugene both groaned as Ned laughed. “And my something about me is that I have a wonderful and beautiful girlfriend. She’s a Squib, so she can’t come to Hogwarts unfortunately, but she is talented at cooking and baking and makes the best brownies.” 

“Ned, do you ever stop talking about Ariel?” the girl next to him asked, rolling her eyes with an amused smile. He gave her a look as she introduced herself. “Hi everyone, I’m Ashly, Third-year Gryffindor. I briefly thought about joining the Quidditch team last year before realizing that I hate physical movement. So I’ll just cheer in the bleachers.”

“I’m Andrew, also a third-year Gryffindor, and a fair warning: I’m sarcastic as hell, don’t take it personally.” 

“I’m Gaby, I am a third-year Gryffindor, I am a huge mess and am probably only alive because of Alison honestly.” 

“Hi there, I’m Alison, I’m a third year Hufflepuff, and I agree with Gaby. I have to talk her out of some stupid stuff all the time.” 

“I’m Daysha, I’m a second-year Gryffindor, and I love promoting positivity and self confidence.”

“Sup, I’m Eli, I’m a Hufflepuff, second-year… I don’t know, I like just chillin’.”

“Yo, yo, I’m Steven and I love food. Oh, yeah, and I’m a second-year Hufflepuff.”

“Hi, Jen. I’m Jen, I mean. Uh, I’m a second-year Hufflepuff… Uh.. I think the most interesting thing about me is that I am very gay. And lazy. Gay-zy.”

“I’m Devin, second-year Slytherin, and I’m going to be trying out for the Quidditch team this year.” 

“Hello, my name is Safiya! I’m a third-year Slytherin, and a lot of people seem to be a little intimidated by me, but I promise I’m nice.” 

“Hi, I’m Chantel! I’m a second-year Hufflepuff, and… I don’t think I could describe myself in any one sentence. I think I’m a little bit of everything, which is good when trying to make friends!” 

“Hey, I’m Kristen. I’m also a second year Hufflepuff, and I can be very awkward sometimes, but that’s just a part of human nature so it’s whatever.”

“The second-year Hufflepuffs just sat one after the other, huh? Haha, my name is Ella, and.. I’m more competitive than people would think, so look out if I make the Quidditch team.” 

“I bet you guys couldn’t guess what House and year I’m in. I’m Freddie, and I am also a second-year Hufflepuff, and I love my squad.” 

“Hi, I’m Quinta, I’m a third-year Slytherin, and I am very short, yes, but it has it’s perks.” 

 

By the time that everyone introduced themselves, the light from outside was almost gone. 

“Sweet, guys! Good luck to the first-years, we’ll see you guys around, and you can always have a friend right here,” Zach said with a cheesy smile. “And a quick reminder: biscuits here are cookies, not biscuits, so if someone offers you one, they are actually offering you a cookie…” 

“You sound like you speak from experience,” Garrett commented.

“Yeah…” Zach said, looking sadly at the floor. “But anyways, everyone can go back to whatever they were doing, or you can mingle and meet a new person!” 

Everyone started getting up and talking, and Shane went back to his chair with Sara following. 

“That was fun,” Sara laughed. 

“Yeah, I’m surprised I remembered everyone’s name… Well, I hope I did, at least.” Shane replied as he plopped down, stretching out his legs after sitting crisscrossed for so long. 

Sara looked over at him with a little mischievous smirk on her face. “I bet you didn’t forget Ryan’s…” 

Shane furrowed his brow slightly as he glanced at her, “What do you mean..?”

Sara rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, that bickering? And then don’t think that I didn’t see you staring at him the whole time Brent was talking.” 

Shane felt his cheeks burn a little, but cleared his throat and shook his head. “Ryan’s an idiot, he’s just lucky he’s cute.” 

Shane didn’t even need to look over at Sara to see the knowing look in her eye. 

“Yeah, okay, whatever, I called him cute. Objectively, that is true. He is cute. That doesn’t mean I like him or whatever you’re thinking,” he said factually. 

“Alriiiiightttt….” Sara said slowly, giving a look to the floor. 

They drifted into a surprisingly comfortable silence as Sara got out her notepad and began doodling. Shane got out his book to read, but his mind kept telling him that Ryan was sitting across the room. He tried to ignore it and focus on the book, but he ended up looking up at the boy sitting with Brent across the room. They were talking, and Ryan started laughing at something Brent said. His laugh reached across the room, and Shane couldn’t help but think it was also cute. He shook his head. He went back to reading, and lost himself in the story, forgetting about stupid, cute Ryan and the magic plane ride. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol sorry it got repetitive in the introductions, i was gonna skip over them, but i figured it would be best to introduce their characters in this au. i hope you like it!
> 
> i probably won't have another chapter up til at least next week, cause i have dragoncon this weekend, then i might be busy with work and class and cleaning my stuff out of my old bedroom... but i've got some plans for this ;)


	3. Chapter 3

“Shane, wake up! We’re about to land!” 

Sara’s voice shook Shane awake; he rubbed his eyes, blinking in the dim light. Sara was gazing out the window, her face nearly pressed up to the glass as she looked at the lights below. Shane leaned forward to get a better look, and he could see the city lit up in the night. From this height, he could see all of London, from the Big Ben to the London Eye. It really was a sight, and any lingering slight annoyance of being woken up disappeared into thin air. Almost everyone else had either woken up or had stayed awake and were chattering again. Shane couldn’t make out any conversations in particular, but everyone was excited to get off the plane and the older kids were making plans for the following week it seemed. Shane’s gaze went over to Ryan, who was staring out the window with wide eyes and the most innocent and amazed look Shane had ever seen. After a moment, Shane turned back to the window Sara was looking out of. Although, it seemed like Sara had turned very quickly away from him, and she had that same mischievous look on her face that she had earlier that night. Shane ignored it as he watched the ground come closer. 

“Welcome to London! Please make sure that you have all of your belongings, as we cannot guarantee the safety of items left on the plane. Watch your step as you exit the aircraft, and follow the gate exit to baggage claim. There will be someone waiting for you to escort you to the Leaky Cauldron. They will be carrying a sign that says “Buzzfeed. B-U-Z-Z-F-E-E-D. While you are in Muggle areas, it is preferred that you refer to the school and such as Buzzfeed activities. You could say it’s a cover. Thank you for flying with us today, and have a magical year!” 

As the voice died down and the door opened, everyone started scrambling to get their stuff and off the plane. Shane stood and stretched his arms before slinging his bookbag over his shoulder. Sara clutched her notebook in her hands, her knuckles nearly white with tension. 

Shane nudged Sara’s arm lightly, “You okay?” 

Sara shrugged. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life, and it’s a little… scary that I’m actually about to see some of the places I’ve heard so much about. My parents actually met in Diagon Alley, it’s weird that I’ll get to see that place that formed my being.” 

“Wow…” Shane said in slight amazement, “That’s… that’s actually kinda cool.” 

Sara smiled lightly, shuffling in front of Shane as they made their way off the plane. 

They walked in silence, occasionally snickering at a comment from one of the other kids around them, although quite a few of them were just hobbling down the track like zombies. 

“Eli, I swear to God, you are really testing me right now. You are really tryin’ to test me,” Daysha said sharply, clapping her hands to the words as Eli snickered tiredly beside her. She was trying to act mad, but her laugh through the sharpness and the smile pulling at her lips gave her away. 

“You say that every time,” Eli said with a breathy laugh. 

“Because you do!” 

“Listen, Eugene, not all of us can walk off a 7 hour flight looking perfect like you,” Keith’s voice rose over them, sounding exasperated. 

“Gaby, Gaby, we aren’t doing this again! You can’t try to convince the bartender that you’re 17 so you can try firewhiskey, she probably remembers you from last year.” Alison’s voice carried over Gaby’s protestations. 

Ashly’s voice came from just behind Shane, “Hey Andrew, do you think I could convince my mom that I got stuck in a tree on the first day and just stayed there the whole year? I think I could, like you’ll write her updates for me like: “Day 13, Ashly is still sitting there. She looks a little sad, but fine.” “Day 49, she has exhausted the nuts that were growing around her, but we have taken to tossing fruit to her.” 

Shane shared a look with Sara as Andrew sighed from beside her, telling her that no, he wasn’t going to help her convince her mom that she was stuck in a tree for a year, no matter how funny it would be. 

Shane had a feeling that this most certainly wouldn’t be a boring year. 

 

After everyone had their bags, they all gathered around a woman who had been holding the aforementioned sign. She smiled warmly at the group, taking in all of the faces. 

“Hello everyone! Welcome back to our former students, and welcome to our new faces. My name is Annie Jeong, and I’m the director of our little organization, Buzzfeed. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take everyone to the inn, and we can talk more.” 

Everyone was talking in hushed whispers as they followed her out of the building, not wanting the Muggles around to overhear. Once they were outside, she signaled them to follow her to a secluded area near the back of the building. She stopped suddenly, telling them to grab onto one of the items on the ground. 

Shane was confused as he looked on the ground. There was just some trash and old torn-up things on the ground. 

“For those who don’t know, these are Portkeys. You must have at least one finger touching one of them at the designated time, and it will take us to our destination. They are usually trash or old things no Muggle will just stumble on and want to take. Hurry and grab on!” Annie explained as the older kids all found a space to fit. 

Shane ended up squeezed between Sara and Jen, feeling dumb as he touched the old monkey toy with two fingers. Annie was watching her watch, and began counting down. 

“3… 2… 1!” 

As she said the last number, Shane felt a sharp tug in his stomach. He closed his eyes, feeling like he was in the middle of a tornado suddenly, with the two fingers on the Portkey being the only thing keeping him grounded. He couldn’t even feel the girls on either side of them, and he was worried for a split second that they had gotten blown away or something. Then, as soon as it began, it was over. Shane opened his eyes to see the group exactly as they had been a few moments ago, if not a little more disheveled. He blinked, realizing that it was the scenery that had changed. They were standing on a street, outside of an old abandoned pub. Looking up at the sign, Shane noticed that this was the Leaky Cauldron. Annie started walking inside, with the group following. Shane followed in a bewildered daze as the abandoned pub sprang to life as they entered. It had a warm light and looked like a typical pub from any old movie, with wooden stools and weird clothing choices from slightly sketchy looking people. 

“Hello Hannah, the Buzzfeed crew is here!” Annie said brightly to the woman at the bar. 

The woman, Hannah, smiled at them as she looked over the group. 

“Not many new faces this year, are there?” She commented as she reached under the bar for something. “Well, I’m sure you’ll all find yourself a place in the school. Here’s your room keys, I think Annie has already sorted you all into your rooms.” 

Annie nodded, “Thank you, Hannah. And to you,” she nodded to the group, “no trying to buy alcohol, Hannah knows how old you are.” 

Gaby tried to suppress a laugh as she avoided Annie’s pointed look. 

“Let’s get the first years in their rooms first, you have a big day ahead of you. I hope that the rest of you won’t stay up all night, but I can  _ only _ hope.” Annie said, pulling out 5 keys out of the stack. “Sara, I’ve put you with Ella in Room 9 since you’re the only first-year girl with us. Brent, Garrett, Room 14. Shane, Ryan, Room 16.” 

Shane shook his head at Sara’s waggling eyebrows as he took his room key, giving an awkward smile to Ryan, who just looked kinda uncomfortable. The first-years all made their way to their rooms, waving goodnight to their newfound friends as they unlocked their doors. 

Ryan let Shane go in first, Shane giving a small thanks as he rolled his suitcase in. They stood there for a moment in silence after the door shut. 

“Hey, uh… Sorry about earlier…” Ryan said quietly.

“What? Oh, the argument? Already forgot about it. Dust in the wind as they say.” Shane said in an overly casual voice. The almost cartoonish lilt in it made Ryan giggle. 

“Yeah, I, uh… I guess if you aren’t used to this stuff, it can be pretty weird and seem unreal. I guess I have a pretty hard stance on this kinda stuff, heh… Even some of my wizard friends say that I have some crazy beliefs.” Ryan explained. 

“Well, I have always had a pretty hard stance on this kinda stuff. But the opposite end of the spectrum, I guess. I’m being proven wrong for the whole magic thing, I guess but… I still don’t think Santa is real.” Shane said, not really knowing where to look. 

“Oh yeah no, Santa Claus is a load of crap.” Ryan said in agreement, making Shane snicker. 

“Well at least we can agree on one thing,” Shane said with a sincere smile, finally allowing himself to look at Ryan’s face again. 

Ryan’s face seemed to glow in the dim light from the lamp on the nightstand. His giggle was pretty contagious, and Shane couldn’t help but laugh as well. After a moment of calming themselves down, they set their bags down finally. 

“You’re cool with sharing the bed?” Ryan asked as he sat on the edge of the mattress. 

Shane shook his head, “I don’t care if you don’t.” 

“I call this side!” Ryan shouted as he flopped down on the left side.

Shane rolled his eyes as he walked around to the other side, “Whatever, you act like it’s a big deal.” 

“Cause it is, I like this side best,” Ryan mumbled from his claimed pillow. 

Shane let out a short breath of laughter as he laid down, turning off the lamp. As they both quieted from exhaustion, Shane thought that maybe Ryan wouldn’t be as bad as he might have thought… Maybe they could be friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why do i always write these chapters from like 9:30pm-12:30am please tell me
> 
> also yes. i did that. buzzfeed is their cover ahahahahahahah im tired im goin to bed

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's not much yet, but I hope you like it so far :D 
> 
> if you wanna talk about these dumb cute ghost hunters, you can message/follow my buzzfeed unsolved sideblog, shyaniac.tumblr.com  
> you can also message/follow my main blog, samdafangirl.tumblr.com if you want


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